In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in hemp, a cannabis plant that shows a lot of potential as a form of environmentally friendly alternative industry. I first learned of this phenomenon in Environmental Justice, a course I took last semester here at Ohio State. In a conversation about alternative industries that are showing the most growth and potential, I learned that cannabis and its different subspecies are gaining traction outside of their more well known recreational uses.
According to Professor Jeremy Baker, cannabis has been used for many millennia by many civilizations across nearly every continent excluding Antarctica. Different societies have used the plant for many different reasons. Some societies used the plant for medicinal purposes or as some kind of intoxicant, while others used cannabis mostly in textile creation. As it turns out, cannabis played a large role in the Age of Exploration as the main material used to make sails, flags and ropes on ships. Later on, cannabis continued to be used for other industrial purposes as a base for numerous textiles and paints in America. It wasn’t even until the 1930s that cannabis gained a negative connotation, became more well known as “marijuana”, and was first regulated by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. Cannabis’ rebranding as marijuana in lieu of its scientific name was a device by which anti-cannabis activists who used the spanish-sounding were able to stir up anti-Mexican sentiment. This incitement of the public’s biases against Mexicans was thus a driving force in outlawing cannabis in the United States. Since then, it has been a long and arduous process to decriminalize cannabis and open the doors to the revitalization of the cannabis industry.
The sector of the cannabis industry that sees the greatest potential for growth is hemp production. Hemp is a subspecies that is almost exclusively used for industrial purposes. Hemp is considered a relatively low-maintenance crop. It requires minimal amounts of water or pesticides and has a rapid growth cycle that would allow for multiple harvests throughout the year. Hemp stalks and fibers can be used to make a great number of products, ranging from textiles, clothing, rope, home furnishings, industrial oils, cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals, and more. As awareness grows and governments increasingly recognize the differences between hemp and other subspecies with more psychoactive properties, there is a trend towards favorable policies for hemp cultivation and production.
The hemp industry presents many economic opportunities for farmers, entrepreneurs, and different communities. One such community is the Native peoples of America and their various tribes. Due to the article “Tribes Revive Traditional Hemp Economies” by Native American activist, writer, and industrial hemp grower by Winona LaDuke, I learned of the potential for not only the revitalization of hemp but also of the opportunity for Native tribes to produce hemp in a way that is sustainable for the people who produce the plant. There are currently plans for a vertically integrated hemp industry within the Lakota community that will create high-paying jobs and steady incomes for many Lakota tribes. After centuries in which Native people have had their land and livelihoods threatened by the government, the legalization of cannabis and hemp across the United States increases the possibility for self-sufficiency and cultural enrichment among their people. In addition, the environmentally friendly nature of hemp production aligns with their traditional values of environmental consciousness and connection. Vertically integrating the hemp industry is a promising alternative that will not only respect the cultural traditions of Native people but will also pave the way for their more sustainable and economically prosperous future. In the words of Winona LaDuke, “This is an opportunity for justice –social and ecological– in this post-petroleum economic transition.”